US has assured of no more unilateral action: PM

United States has assured Pakistan of no more unilateral action inside its territory, says Gilani.

BEIJING:

The United States has assured Pakistan of no more unilateral action inside its territory, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani said on Thursday, the third day of a trip to China that follows the May 2 killing of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.

At an extensive interactive session in Beijing at the Peking University with the students, the visiting prime minister said, “If there is any information about a high value target, it will be shared and there will be a joint operation.”  He said that even today talks are in progress with senior US administration officials over the issue.

Gilani noted the concern of the students of Peking University over the violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty and said that the government had condemned the US military operation in Abbottabad.

“We take it as a violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty,” he said and also mentioned the unanimous resolution passed by the Parliament in this regard.

Gilani was appreciative of the role of China and said it was the first country to have extended full support to Pakistan in a difficult hour.

He said the acts of extremism and terrorism were not confined to Pakistan alone and it was not possible for any single country to take action against such nefarious elements on its own.

“No country can fight extremism or terrorism and stabilise Afghanistan without the help of Pakistan,” he said. He said that Pakistan was part of the solution and without its assistance there can be no peace and stability in the region.

Gilani said the world must recognise the sacrifices of Pakistan, like China has done.

He said that more than 30, 000 Pakistani lost their lives because of terrorist acts and blamed Bin Laden for the heavy price the country has to pay for the war against terrorism.

Meanwhile, the prime minister also called on Chinese firms to invest in the country’s energy sector, in a bid to boost a moribund economy hit by massive floods last year and weak Western investment.

“There is great potential for the participation of Chinese corporations in the development of the energy sector in Pakistan. This includes hydro, thermal and renewable,” Gilani told a joint business forum in Beijing.

“Joint ventures, with equity participation of Chinese corporations and financial institutions, can transform Pakistan’s economic landscape and would certainly prove to be a win-win scenario,” he said. “I would urge Chinese corporations to focus on Pakistan in their strategic business plans.”

The two countries have growing commercial links – two-way trade totalled $8.7 billion in 2010, up 27.7 per cent on-year, according to Chinese data – and have also collaborated extensively in the energy sector.

(with additional input from wires)

Published in The Express Tribune, May 20^th, 2011.